Losing history: Freed-slaves house in Paramus deserved a better fate

It was a house easy to miss. The modest two-story sandstone structure with a wood clapboard addition sat on Dunkerhook Road in Paramus and was known as the Zabriskie Tenant House. The stone portion of the house dated to the 18th century -- a survivor of the days when African-Americans who were freed slaves lived and worked in this corner of Paramus in the 1830s.

Darryl Harris of Paterson found out through research that his great-grandfather lived there. "A lot of us can't trace our history back that far, so to be able to see that house ... ," Harris said, his voice trailing off.

No more. The house was demolished July 13 by a developer with plans to build two houses on the property. Like many other historic sites in the state, it was "listed" on the National Register of Historic Places. But that has no power to stop the bulldozers.

Efforts to move the house to Bergen Community College fell through. It's a heartbreaking loss.

This isn't about stopping development, or hindering private property rights. The last owner, not a descendant of the original occupants, sold the house because she needed money for assisted living. And the developer, Quattro 4 LLC, had waited nearly three years before going ahead with demolition. Both were entitled to a transaction that satisfied their needs and rights.

The odd man out: our historical legacy.

A better outcome would have seen the house relocated to the college site, with time to raise private funds and apply for government grants to cover the move and refurbish the house for visitors.

Local preservationists found the Paramus preservation commission that could have guided this kind of rescue had been dormant for some time. Herein lies the lesson for the future: Without a strong and autonomous commission with legal standing to hold hearings, take testimony and make decisions, there's no due process for history. A strong commission could build public consensus and help preservationists make the most of their time to figure out the financing for relocation. It doesn't guarantee every historic house will be saved, but it does provide for an orderly and transparent process.

"It's very sad to me," said John D. Mitchell, chairman of the Bergen County freeholders, a self-described history buff who was working with local advocates to obtain state grants when the house came down. "It's not just African-American history," he said. "It's American history."

The loss of the Zabriskie Tenant House diminishes all of us, and should prompt communities to re-examine the strength of their preservation commissions, long before the bulldozers rumble forward.